Stoney tackles usability and web site issues with links to articles for more information. Quote: "One of the problems is that people tend want to skip right to search engine optimization forgetting that users matter. Many people want to rush into the marketing without realizing that the website itself is part of the marketing process."6 Comments

Comments

I wouldnt call this an "analysis". To be honest, this is typical of what I get from some prospective clients. They think usability is something where you can look at a site for a few minutes and come up with a list of whats wrong with it. I dont take these clients because there is no such thing. Some of the most severe problems dont appear until tasks are performed.What this article offers is a checklist, which is wonderful for a quick run through to make sure some basic fundamental guidelines were incorporated into a design. I love checklists. But thats all they are.Theyre not reviews with suggestions for enhancements, they dont include functional testing, defect or issue tracking, tasks, functional and business traceability and so much more thats part of a real usability audit/review/analysis.Checklists are great for creating a set of guidelines to follow during the design phase and are the backbone for final testing to make sure those guidelines were met. And even at that, someone will always come back and ask "Why do we need to do that?"

"Some of the most severe problems dont appear until tasks are performed."I couldnt agree more, Kim. There are just too many things that you dont know about until you really get in and start digging. Youre right, these are just checklists but I use the word analysis in terms of going through any checklist and seeing how the site stacks up. On our part we use these checklists as a basis to provide a more thorough review of a site and make recommendations for enhancements, of which testing is an important element. I did try to make the point that testing is essential.

What about evaluating competition? I like to think outside the box, but when diagnosing concerns and assessing solutions, your competition and market should be considered. Without full evaluation of the vertical and other competitors you are working with blinders on. SWOT analysis, even though not tailored for online, can be a key consideration when dividing and conquering your desired market.I would like to say that it is a good article Stoney!

"What about evaluating competition?"Just as a note, some usability audits include this as well. Some of my SEO partners do a target market analysis and competitor analysis along with the usability part. Communicating value proposition is part of persuasive design.